Grant, loan boost plans for high-tech business park

Plans for developing a high-tech business park in Genesee County are getting a $1.6 million boost from Empire State Development, the state’s economic development arm.

The agency also awarded $800,000 to support a building improvement program serving Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties.

The projects were among $18.6 million in funding approved by Empire State Development’s board of directors Wednesday to support efforts around the state that were identified as priorities in their respective regions.

Empire State Development awarded a $500,000 grant, along with a $1.1 million loan, to help advance plans for the Western New York Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park in the Town of Alabama, known as STAMP. The funds will assist with acquiring 364 acres of land at the site for the next phase of development.

The Genesee Gateway Local Development Corp. will serve as the recipient of Empire State Development’s grant and loan. Economic development officials want to develop STAMP into a park that attracts large-scale, high-tech manufacturers that would eventually employ thousands of workers from both the Buffalo and Rochester markets.

PUSH Buffalo’s Buffalo Neighborhood Stabilization Co. will use its $800,000 grant to establish a regionwide Small Business and Not-for-Profit Building Improvement Grant Program. It is expected to assist 60 beneficiaries with making “green” retrofits to their buildings, allowing them to qualify for the Green Jobs/Green New York Program.